Mamata hardsells Bengal to India Inc.

Says land,power ample; law & order good

Mamata Banerjee attracted an impressive turnout from India Inc. on her maiden visit to Mumbai as chief minister on Thursday.

At a closed-door meeting with about 45 CEOs,including Mukesh Ambani,Adi Godrej,Uday Kotak and Hindustan Unilevers Nitin Paranjpe,Mamata reportedly brushed aside concerns about law and order in West Bengal as false propaganda,and hardsold business opportunities in her state.

I have created a land bank of 10,000 acres,a land map,a land use policy. We are undertaking power banking,and we will be in a position to provide power to other states in three years. We have also created an employment bank. Workers are very good and are cheap. In addition,we have started e-tendering,e-procurement and e-taxation. Land procurement is also not a problem any more, she told reporters later.

Mamata,who was accompanied by her finance minister Amit Mitra,quoted Mukesh Ambani as having said,West Bengal is a gold mine.

Mukesh Ambani has already launched 4G services in West Bengal for more than Rs 3,000 crore,and there are so many other areas in which they (industries) can invest. Today we announced the various projects… but details have to be worked out,they have to prepare their DPR,they have to plan. A plan is needed for everything. So let them decide,but they have assured us that they will invest, she said.

Mamata said she wanted the Bay of Bengal to become the New Goa and Sunderban a popular safari destination. The work culture (in Bengal) is good these days,and there are good relations between industrialists and workers, she said,adding that her government had cut the earlier average annual loss of 78 lakh mandays due to strikes and bandhs to zero.